IN a special Friday night bowls encounter at Kilmore Bowls Club between local rivals Kilmore and Broadford, it was the former that secured their spot in the Highlands Division One Saturday Pennant Finals with a strong 73-39 victory.
The two teams had met earlier in November when Kilmore took the win, scoring an 80-48 victory.
The Friday night format has been a winner for the Highlands competition this year, with Kyneton also taking part in a Friday night game earlier in the season.
A big rain shower moments before last Friday’s match started threatened to literally dampen the affair, but as soon as it passed, it was Kilmore who took quick control of the game with their shot-making to overwhelm Broadford on their home rink.
Kilmore’s win was built on rink wins to Daniel Noonan, who won 19-8 over Daryl Kelly, and Luke Spargo’s 35-10 win over Paul Newell. Broadford did salvage two points which helped keep them off the bottom of the table, with David Ellis taking a 21-19 win over Josh Wiffen.
The win was important for the Blues, who had dropped three consecutive matches going in to see their double-chance hopes fade away.
The result means Kilmore are now in the finals, irrespective of whether they are able to defeat second-placed Romsey or not, and will be preparing for a cut-throat elimination final clash with Kyneton Golf in Lancefield on March 1.
